Appeal
by RockinGurl
Summary: When a womans body is discovered in an alley, the SVU detectives are shaken to discover that the identity of the woman is someone they know well. Can the SVU push aside their grief to catch her killer or will they let their personal feelings prevail?
1. Intro: Grim Discovery

Intro.

"Can't a guy catch a break?" John Munch complained as he stepped out of his partner Fin Tutuola's black car and looked out at the bright lights flashed from the ambulence that blocked part of the crime scene and lit up the part of the street. The early morning chill was in the air already, illuminating their breaths. "Why do they insist on waking us up to come out to a crime scene at three in the morning? Couldn't they have someone who is on duty deal with these late night problems?" He continued as the partners walked underneath the yellow police tape, flashing their badges to the officers in charge of making sure no one else got past.

"Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled to be strolling around with your skinny ass this early either," Fin replied before they saw Melinda Warner, the medical examiner walking towards them, a grim look on her face. "What we got Melinda?" he asked as they finally reached her, Fin looking past her and towards the body laying on the ground. The woman's face wasn't visable to him from where they were, but from what he saw, she looked to have been raped and beaten. Even to this day Fin had trouble at times keeping his emotions in check, seeing girls so badly beaten or raped or killed, or all of the above made him want to kick the shit out of the perp.

His thoughts were interrupted as Melinda sighed, and his glance turned towards her once again. She was looking down, and he was suddenly getting a sense of dread. "I think they are probably going to have to get a different squad to investigate this one," the medical examiner said before crossing her arms against her chest. Fin furrowed his eyebrows slightly before looking over to Munch.

"Why?" Munch asked her pointblank.

"We know the victim, very well."

"Who is it?" Fin shook his head slightly, a bit confused as he looked over at where the body was now covered with a sheet and obstructed his view of who she was. His eyes moved back to Melinda.

"It's Casey."


	2. Chapter 1: Shock Settling

**Chapter 1.**** Shock Settling**

The floor of the Special Victims Unit was eerily silent as everyone sat at their desks, everyone seemingly in shock as they let the news of former ADA Casey Novak's murder sink in. Never had there been such a shocking loss that effected the entire unit so deeply. So far, they had not been pulled off the case, but no one knew where to begin. Cragen's office door opened and he walked out making his way between the desks of Benson, Stabler, Fin and Munch who were all oblivious to him standing there.

He cleared his throat softly as he placed his hands in his pockets, looking around at their blank faces. "I know it's difficult, but Olivia, Melinda needs to see you in the morgue," he said. Olivia ran her fingers through her honey colored hair with a sigh and nodded before standing up and grabbing her coat, then heading out the door. "As long as we aren't being pulled from the case, I want us to be the ones to investigate. We have a lot to figure out, it won't be easy, but I want to find the son of a bitch as much as you do. I want us to be the ones to get justice for Casey."

As soon as Olivia stepped into the morgue, a sense of dread hit her. She didn't know if she was going to be able to handle this case, she had no idea if any of them could. It had been nearly three years since Casey was disbarred and Olivia lost touch with her. She would never forgive herself for not trying harder to be in her friends life. She stopped a moment, trying to collect herself before opening the door and seeing Melinda standing in front of the silver table. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the white sheet that she knew was over Casey's body. Melinda nodded slightly, knowing that this wasn't going to be an easy case for Olivia or the others who were close to Casey.

"Why don't we talk in the hallway?" Melinda suggested before walking up to Olivia and guiding her out of the room.

"I'm sorry Melinda."

"Don't appologize Liv, I understand. This case is going to be difficult for all of us, Casey was a friend," Melinda said placing her hands in her white jacket. Olivia turned around to face her.

"So, what did you find?" Olivia asked, hoping that the shock would start to subside if she tried to catch the bastard who killed her friend.

"Well, she died of asphyxiation. Most likely from ligature strangulation, I found traces of nylon and woven exterior sheath imbedded in the mark on her skin."

Olivia looked down a moment in thought before looking back up at her. "A rope?"

"Not just any rope. One like this," Melinda walked around Olivia and over to a table and held up a package. "A Kernmantle rope, it's a heavy duty rope that is used in yachts for hauling heavy things, to tie up boats to the dock and in some cases to rock climb."

Olivia nodded before clearing her throat before asking a question she was dreading. "Was she... raped?" she asked, her voice soft, almost a whisper. Melinda hated having to be the one to tell the detectives all the details of this crime, but she knew that no one would rest until they found the person who killed Casey.

"Yes, I found spermicide on the inside of her thigh."

"So, the perp wore a condom. Great," Olivia shook her head in disappointment.

"Yes, but Casey was smart. I found a small amount of skin cells underneath her fingernails. She scratched him." Olivia's face lit up, happy that they would be able to finally get something that could point them in the right direction. Liv's cell phone rang and she looked down at her side before pulling her phone out and bringing it to her ear.

"Benson?" She answered, turning a bit and looking at the wall. "Yeah, okay, I'll meet you there," she closed the phone before looking at Melinda. "O'Halloran found something at the crime scene, I'm meeting Elliot there. Please let-"

"Let you know if I find anything else. I will Liv," Melinda smiled as she finished Olivia's sentence.

"Thanks."

Upon arriving at the crime scene, Elliot Stabler was trying his best to put a block on how he was feeling. Try to act like he wasn't fazed by what had happened but he was not one who hid his anger easily. As he walked over to Ryan O'Halloran, the forensics tech, who was directing one of the others what they needed to take a picture of for evidence. The rest of the CSU team were scowering the area around the alleyway where her body was found. Elliot sighed as he reached him and cleared his throat before finally speaking. "What did you find?"

As O'Halloran looked at Elliot, he pulled out an evidence bag that had what looked like name tag. "We found this in one of the dumpster that was around the corner from where the body was found." Elliot took the bag from him and examined it.

"_Rickers Island Visitors Pass_," he read and furrowed his eyebrows in confustion.

"Looks like Casey went to see someone there not too long before she was attacked," Ryan concluded as he crossed his arms against his chest. Elliot shook his head before looking up once more.

"Yeah, but who did she visit?"


	3. Chapter 2: A Clue to the Truth

**Chapter 2:** ** A Clue to the Truth**

Donald Cragen looked at the computer screens that had images of everything they knew right now. He then looked at Casey's photo, thoughts of good moments the unit shared with the beautiful woman came flooding back to him. He had always been able to see past the personal side of a case and focus on the case at hand, tried to keep the detectives who worked under him in check and that they were following the law of they conducted themselves. But how was he going to keep them focused on doing things that way when he himself wanted to kill whoever had taken the life of this woman that the entire unit cared about. Disbarred or not Casey always had his respect, she was smart and one of the best ADA's the special victims unit had ever worked with.

The sound of high heels clicking on the floor and towards him made Cragen cring slightly, knowing exactly who it was and what was about to happen. He turned to see their new ADA Gillian Hardwicke standing behind him with her arms crossed, he had tried as hard as he could to not bring the DA's office into this investigation, knowing that they would get pulled from the case because of their ties to the victim. He shook his head before she even had a chance to speak and he walked past her, and towards his office.

"I know what you're going to say, but I'm not pulling my team from this case," He said hearing her heels click as she followed him into the office, and he turned as she shut the door behind her.

Gillian didn't want to be the bad guy, but she had to follow and enforce the law. Her bosses were breathing down her neck since finding out that the Manhattan Special Victims Unit were the ones investigating the murder of one of their former ADA's. She shook her head as she walked closer to him.

"Don, I don't like it anymore than you do, but the DA's office doesn't want your unit to let personal feelings effect the investigation."

"This unit loved Casey, and our personal feelings are going to ensure that this case will not go unsolved. We all want to find the person who is responsible, and you can be damn sure that we are not going to give this case up without a fight," Cragen said as he looked into her eyes. It was the first time he had put his neck so far out for any victim, but he knew that no one else would be okay with letting it go anywhere else.

Gillian crossed her arms against her chest and sighed. She was torn, as much as she knew that she had to enforce whatever the DA needed her to, she also knew that the captain was completely right about them investigating. "You're right, and I wish it was that simple, but it isn't," she started as she shook her head and looked into his eyes. "I will do what I can to allow you to keep your team on the case, but the first hint of trouble, I will have no choice but to pull you from it."

She turned around and opened the door to his office slightly before stopping herself and looking back. "She must have been an amazing person, I can see how much you all are suffering because of what has happened. I hope you catch the bastard," She smiled slightly before slowly making her way out of his office and towards the elevators.

It wasn't too long before Munch walked into the office, seemingly oblivious to Hardwicke leaving. "Captain, Rickers sent us information about who Casey was visiting, you're not going to believe who she had been spending a lot of time seeing," he told him as he handed Cragen a small folder with a few pages in it, Casey visiting the same immate everyday for the past three years. He looked at the name before looking back up, almost stunned.

"Take Finn with you and question him," he answered before handing the folder back to Much.

Finn Tutuola stepped out of his black car and looked up at the main brick building. The sign that read "Rickers Island" was faded and somewhat rusted from the 73 years of it being there. Munch got out of the passanger side and shut the door before walking around to the front and looking over the scene and then to Finn. Finn closed his car before walking into the large prison, a guard there who was waiting for his arrival. Finn wasn't looking forward to this visit, and he knew that it was going to be a difficult one for the SVU to deal with. Not only had the victim been a good friend, so had the person she had visited.

The pair in the private visitor room. Munch sitting on a chair and leaning back in it, Finn pacing the floor. They had been partners a long time, but Munch had never seen Finn seem so nervous or anxious about questioning an inmate. They heard the faint sounds of ankle cuffs smacking the cement floor, and Finn looked over at the door as it opened, holding his breath.

Chester Lake walked into the room, and smiled as he saw the pair. He hadn't seen anyone except for Casey since being arrested the same night Casey was fired from her job. Finn had promised him after his sentence hearing that he would visit his former partner, but he broke that promise. Once the guards removed his hand and ankle cuffs, Chester walked towards them reaching a hand out to Finn, "It's good to see you again brother."

"Don't brother me Chester," Finn said keeping his hands in his pockets. Chester shrugged before pulling his hand back and sitting across from Munch at the table.

"Alright, what are you two here about? I mean, if it isn't to see me, it must be about my appeal case."

"Look Chester, you have a tie to a rape and murder that happened two nights ago," Munch said leaning forward in his chair and placing his elbows on the table. Lake furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head in confussion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Casey," Finn said leaning against the table as well, his face close to Lakes and his eyes locked on his former partners. "She was raped and killed, a meer two hours after visiting you in here." A sigh left Chester's lips and he shook his head.

"No, you have to be wrong, Casey can't be dead."

"She is Lake, and you were the last known person to see her alive. You and her killer," Munch replied as Chester stood up, his back now facing his former collegues and his hands covering his mouth. "Did she tell you anything? About anyone harrassing her or threatening her? Anything at all?" Lake turned back around, a couple of teardrops rolling down his olive toned cheeks as he nodded.

"Yeah... yeah, she did tell me one thing..."


	4. Chapter 3: Blast From the Past

**Chapter 3: Blast from the Past**

Gillian Hardwicke was going through all of the paperwork that was building up on top of her desk. With so much shock that had gone through-out the office, she knew that even though she was backed up in paper work no one was going to be riding her about being so behind. Though she didn't know Casey Novak personally, a tiny bit of her was feeling jealous of the former ADA. She felt terrible for even having those thoughts, she honestly had no idea why she felt that way. Maybe it came from the fact that everyone was mourning the loss of Casey, that they obviously cared deeply for this woman. She had heard so many things about Casey in the past, she also remembered following the case against Detective Tutuola's step son, Darius Parker. And even though she lost the case, Gillian admired how great Casey was during it, and it was the way she wished she was or ever could be.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door of her office swinging open with force, she jumped slightly as she looked up and saw her boss, Arthur Branch enter the room, a newspaper in his hand. He slammed it against her table, making her take a step back.

"What the hell is this?" He asked obviously furious. Gillian looked down at the newspaper and her jaw dropped slightly, instantly knowing the lecture she was about to receive.

She picked up the newspaper, reading it out-loud. "Just Discovered: Former SVU Affair Causes Cop Death," she started shaking her head and sighing. A photo of Casey Novak and Chester Lake seemingly talking to each other just outside the courthouse. She was silent a moment, she wasn't sure she wanted to continue. This was obviously going to hinder things with Casey's murder case.

"Continue Gillian, it's only begun to get interesting," DA Branch said breaking the silence that had filled the room. He took a step towards her, pointing to the article. Reluctantly, she sighed and looked back at the article, continuing to read it aloud.

"It seems that recently deceased former assistant district attorney Casey Novak was to blame for the 2008 murder of police officer Thomas Crane. Sources say that Miss Novak, who was disbarred the same year, had an on-going sexual relationship with his murderer, former SVU detective Chester Lake, who received 20 years to life in prison for the crime. After the rape case against Mr. Crane was dismissed, one source says they saw "Casey Novak and Chester Lake talking after the trial," and that they "heard them talking about permanently getting rid of Thomas by any means. She was asking him to kill Crane, as well as flirting with him openly in front of the courthouse, not even trying to hide it." What could this mean for the district attorney? Possibly a closer look at all employees and former ADA's who have called the Special Victims Unit of Manhattan their home."

She dropped the paper onto her desk, her arms crossed. Branch shook his head and began to pace her office. "If we don't figure out if this article is true, any case against Casey Novak's killer will fly right out the window."

"Why? Even if she did have a relationship with Chester, that has no bearing on someone taking her life."

"They will paint her as a liar and a cold vindictive woman who had someone killed because she didn't want to lose case," Branch said as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Then the defence will say that someone simply took her life so that she couldn't get former Detective Lake out of jail

"Let me talk to special victims, I'm sure that we can do enough damage control to prevent any damage to this case."

"Alright Gillian, the SVU detectives get 24 hours to investigate and come up with solution. If they haven't , then I will have no choice but to break from special victims until we can figure out if the allegations are true or not." With that, Branch turned and left her office. Gillian slumped down onto her chair, her head tilting back slightly and she looked up at the ceiling. She wasn't looking forward to this conversation, she wasn't looking forward to working on this case.

Captain Donald Cragen paced his office, before walking around his desk and opening one of the drawers. This entire case was beginning to give him heartburn. He pulled out some alka-seltzer, letting it drop into the cup of water that was sitting on his desk. All he wanted was for this to finally be closed with the perp in jail. It was after taking a sip of the drink that he saw Finn walking towards the office followed by Munch. As they entered, they closed the door behind them. Neither of them looked very happy.

"Well?" Cragen asked looking back and forth between two. "What did you find out from Lake?"

"He won't talk Cap. He said that she mentioned something to him about being afraid of something, and then it was like his mouth forgot how to speak. He won't tell us anything else," Munch crossed his arms.

"Yeah, Chester is refusing to talk about it, saying that he didn't know if it had anything to do with her murder and he wasn't about to let someone else get railroaded into doing jail time like he did. It's a dumb ass excuse, but he's sticking to it."

Cragen sighed before his door was opened and Gillian Hardwicke walked into the room. "What do you need Gillian?" He asked, sounding slightly annoyed that she was there. She walked further in, handing something to him. "What is this?"

"It's a court order that will get Rickers to bring Lake here for an interrogation," She answered before clutching her briefcase with both hands and smirk appearing on her beautiful face.

"But can't we just talk to him over there? I mean, there isn't a reason that we need him to be here for questioning."

"I figured you would say that," She said before opening her briefcase and pulling out the newspaper article, holding it out to the older man. "And we thought the same thing, then this came out."

Cragen was in shock from just reading the headline. He didn't believe it, he didn't think he could. "There is no way that any of this is true," He said looking away from it. Munch took the paper from him and after reading the headline, began to read the article to himself.

"This is bull. I'm all for freedom of speech, but trying to make an ADA look dirty after her death is in bad taste even for me."

"Well, I'm hoping this article will loosen mister Lake's lips," Gillian said as she allowed her gaze to travel along the faces of the men. "It's the only positive thing that can come from this piece of trash article."

Finn finally took a look at the paper, reading it to himself. As soon as he saw the author of this story, he shook his head, knowing exactly who it was. "Maybe Elliot and Liv should question Lake when he gets here," he suggested before looking up, catching the eyes of Cragen and then moving his gaze to Munch. "Munch and I should go talk to the person who wrote this trash."

"Alright," Cragen nodded. "Just don't do anything in front of witnesses," he said without missing a beat. Gillian rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

Chester Lake sat in the interrogation room, one that he had been in on the other side of this same scenario many times. Being a cop was something he missed more than he could explain into words, but going out the way he did was something that he wasn't ashamed of. He knew that Thomas Crane would never stop, that monster was only going to stop if he was made to stop. When Casey had lost the trail, he knew that she meant it when she said she would re-file the charges and that they would get him. He just couldn't take the chance if she was wrong.

His thoughts ran wild as he waited alone in the room, and he kept replaying Fin's words to him over and over again. Casey was dead, and her death was his fault, no one would understand why he believed that. She was trying to help him and someone stopped her before she could. The moment she was officially disbarred, she had been by his side through it all. She was the only thing that was in his life that he looked forward to, and the only connection to the outside.

The door opened and Elliot walked in quickly followed by Olivia, he was expecting to see Fin and Munch, but any of the detectives were fine by him. He sat up in his chair as Elliot pulled out a chair and straddled it, Olivia leaning against the wall of the room, hands in her pockets as she looked at Chester.

"You know, I never thought that after your sentencing hearing I would ever see you again," Elliot said, finally breaking the tense silence that was previously surrounding them.

"Look, Chester," Olivia began to walk forward. Once she reached the table, she leaned down placing her hands on it as she kept her eyes locked on Lake's. "I know that you didn't have anything to do with her death. But you told Finn and Munch that she confided in you about being in danger."

"Confided being the operative word," Chester countered before letting his stare go to the two way mirror.

"Fine, we can just arrest you for obstruction then," Elliot said getting to his feet.

"Chester, just tell us what she said. If it doesn't lead to someone that can tie to her murder, then no one is going to go to jail wrongfully."

Lake looked back up, starting to feel himself get angry. He stood up, knocking the chair backwards as he looked into her eyes. "Then how come I am in jail?" He yelled to her, slamming his hands on the table that was in between them. "Thomas Crane was going to get away with killing and raping one girl and raping another, and there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it! I did everyone a favor by taking that son of a bitch out!" He shook his head and pushed himself away from the table. Olivia was silent, shocked, but Elliott remained unfazed.

"You killed him Chester, you took a life without provocation."

"There was provocation! He got away with two counts of rape and one count of murder on a technicality! You tell me how that's fair!"

"And that pissed you off! It was Casey's fault, she was the reason he walked! And you killed him because of that but then you were put in jail. Casey may have lost her job, but you lost your life! You got so angry at her you just had to teach her a lesson. So, you figured out a way to get her killed while putting the blood on someone else's hands," Elliot said getting into Chesters face, he smiled slightly. "So, maybe you made friends with a fellow cellmate. He gets out of jail, you tell him when she's going to come visit and you have him take her out for all the pain she caused you. You're going to be in prison for at least 20 years, all because of her."

"You've got it all wrong," Chester said, his voice much softer and his face mimicking the softness. "Casey was trying to get me out. She was helping me file an appeal. Why would I kill her?"

"Because Chester," Olivia joined in the conversation. "You thought that if she was gone then the world wouldn't find out about your plan."

"What plan?"

"This one," She tossed the newspaper article onto the table.

Lake looked at the headline and shook his head a moment as he saw the photo of the duo standing outside of the courthouse, and he recognized it. His mind flashed back to that moment in time, replaying it in his mind like a movie.

He had just walked away from her after she said that she would re-file charges. He didn't want to hear it and stormed out of the room. It wasn't long before he heard her calling his name, he stopped, sighing and his jaw-clenched as he tried to hold his anger in. She was apologizing, trying to tell her she was sorry she screwed up. He accepted her apology and they hugged. Then she left and he didn't see her again until after he had put a bullet into that bastard Thomas Crane. He was snapped back to reality when Olivia slammed her her hands down on the table.

"Were you having a sexual relationship with her? Did she ask you to kill Thomas Crane?" Olivia asked as their eyes locked once more.

"No, Casey was apologizing to me. She said she was sorry that she caused the case to get thrown out."

"So, this was a simple friendship and every statement that is in this article is false," Elliot countered nodding.

"That's exactly it. I could never hurt Casey, I was in love with her."


	5. Chapter 4: Searching for a Ghost

**Chapter 4: Searching for a Ghost**

It was a beautiful day. The sun beginning to fade away, being taken over by the shadows of night time. Fin was behind Munch as they made their way up the sidewalks, finally reaching the building where the main offices for The Ledger were housed. Fin was taking in the sounds and look of the city, it all looked darker out than usual. Maybe it was his inner thoughts that were darker, his anger was deeper. Manhattan hadn't always been his home, but he loved it from the very beginning. And now that Casey was murdered in this town, it made him seriously consider leaving this place again. He had seen too many men and women die for no reason, and there had only been a handful that had gotten to him. Everyone in the entire unit was shaken to the core now, and none of them were handling this case as well as they tried to put on to observers.

Walking into the building was starting to make Fin nervous, and he was never one to get nervous just because he was going to question someone. Munch led the way into the main offices of the newspaper staff, as Fin looked around the loud clatter that was coming from the frantically moving staff. Their presence remained unnoticed as they slowly made their way to the office of the editor. The door was open, and the tall dark haired man had his back to the pair, his eyes down on a document that was in his hand. Walking inside, Munch cleared his throat softly before tapping gently on the door as Fin took a step, standing beside him. 

"Kurt Moss?" Munch asked before taking another step inside the office. The tall man turned, pull his reading glasses off of his face.

"Uh, yes? Can I help you?"

"Detective Tutuola and this is my partner Detective Munch from Manhattan Special Victims," Fin said as he showed his badge and pointed towards Munch who also had his badge out.

"We wanted to talk to you about this pretty little article that you wrote and had the gull to put in this mornings paper," Munch said taking a copy of the newspaper out of the deep pocket of his black trench coat and tossing it on top of Kurt's desk. Kurt Moss kept his eyes on the pair a moment before smiling slightly, his eyes never going to the newspaper in which they had come to discuss.

"You guys work with Olivia, don't you?" He asked as he placed the papers and his glasses onto the desk, on top of the article, and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Yeah, but don't change the subject Moss," Fin took a step forward, pulling the article out and pushing it towards him, crumpling it against his chest. "We are in the middle of investigating the murder of a smart and wonderful woman who had once protected this city of dangerous criminals, and you print this garbage?"

"Look, I just wrote the truth about a corrupt police department and the murder of a man in cold blood. I would hardly say that what she did or the way she manipulated Chester Lake makes Casey Novak a wonderful person."

Fin felt his temper rise, to a point where he wouldn't be able to control it. "Corrupt? I'll show you corrupt," He said through clenched teeth before taking a step towards the reporter. Munch quickly got between the pair, pushing his partner back slightly and tilting his head down. His eyes appeared from underneath his trademark dark glasses locking with Fin's eyes, telling him to calm down with just one look. Fin calmed, placing both hands up a moment as he took a few steps back. Munch turned to look at Moss, shaking his head.

"Where did you get this information Kurt? Who was this witness?"

"No, I have the right to not reveal my sources. You want names, get a court order, until then, get the hell out of my office," Moss said, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Alright, we'll do that. And if we find out that this "source" had anything to do with Casey's murder and was giving you a story to make Casey look bad to cover themselves, then we will be here once again for obstruction. And unlike now, we won't be leaving alone, and you'll be wearing some fancy silver bracelets on your way out," Munch warned before shrugging slightly and taking a step back. "It's up to you though." The partners turned their backs to the journalist and headed towards the door, Finn had some resistance, but just let out a sigh before turning around as Munch gave him a gentle shove back.

"Fine," Moss said, finally stopping them. Munch turned around, seeing the reporter place his hands on his hips a moment, sighing in defeat. As soon as he caught gaze with the two detectives, he moved towards his desk, taking out a notepad and a pen. He quickly scribbled something onto it before ripping the paper off and holding it out to them. "I won't give you a name, but this is the time and date that she came in. And... she had auburn hair and green eyes, she is... or was really close to Casey. This entire building is wired with security camera's," he said as Fin took the paper. Kurt was obviously frustrated that he even told them all he had, "Now, get the hell out of here." With that, Fin turned and made his way out of the office.

"You did the right thing Kurt," Munch said softly before patting Kurt's shoulder a moment. Kurt nodded.

"Security is on the first floor, incase you weren't aware."

It had been just an hour after Fin had collected the tapes from security that he found himself in front of a computer screen next to Ruben Morales. Morales had worked with Special Victims for years, and though he didn't know Casey as well as they others, he was still as passionate about this case as the rest of the team.

"Please tell me you found something," Munch groaned out as he walked into the room. Fin turned around to look at his partner and roll his eyes in the process.

"Why do you insist on coming into the room, complaining like a constipated old man?" Fin paused a moment as Munch was standing beside him with his arms crossed. "Oh, wait, never mind, I already know the answer."

"Well, I think we found your mistery girl," Morales interrupted, barely hearing the bickering between the two detectives. A skill he had slowly gained since the first time he worked with this particular unit.

Munch and Fin turned their attention to Morales and the three men soon had their eyes focused on the four screens that held four different angles from the camera's at the building that held "The Ledger". The beautiful auburn haired girl was seen walking down the hallways after stopping off at Kurt Moss's office. Though obviously beautiful, she looked ill, dirty. It was as if she hadn't bathed in a few weeks. Her hands moved across her arms, scratching at her skin. To Fin, she looked like she was going through withdrawl, most likely from a heroin addiction. He had been in narcotics long enough to be able to spot the signs.

"She seems to be alone," Munch observed as three men's eyes travelled among the cameras as she moved through-out the building after leaving Moss's office. Once she reached the front door, her face turned and was caught by the camera. "There, zoom and print that screenshot of her and we can try to find out who she is," Munch said with a smile before standing up straight and crossing his arms.

As Morales paused the screen, Fin saw a hand move into the frame slightly. Before Morales zoomed in, he shook his head. "Wait a second, let it play. It looks like our girl isn't alone," he said.

Sure enough, after pressing play, this mysterious girl turned towards a man as he touched her arm. He was african american, tall, husky and very well put together. His face wasn't visible because of a fedora that blocked most of his face from view of the camera. His clothing was clean, ironed, impecable.

"Why is Biggie talking to little orphan Annie?" Munch asked sarcastically before Fin sighed heavy as a tattoo became visible on the black mans hand.

"Oh my god."

"What? What is it?" Morales asked turning his head to look at Fin.

"I know that clown," Fin answered before pointing to the screen. "Pause it. You see that GB tattooed on his hand? That stands for **Ghost Bee**. He's a big-shot drug dealer, pimp, thief, and all around pain in the ass. I was undercover working a case against one of his rivals back when I was still in narcotics. His rival went to jail, Ghost Bee got his buisness and his money. I basically helped that jackass get rich. This girl must be one of his."

Their eyes went back to the video and Morales played more of it. The girl handed him a wad of cash, most likely the money she had recieved from Moss for the story she gave him. Ghost Bee's smirk was visable as he counted it up, the girl still scratching at her skin as she looked around the two of them suspiciously. He then placed the money in his jacket before he pulled her hand into his, kissing the top of it, clearly slipping something into her hand as he did so.

"Alright, I will print out this screen capture and you can hunt down this girl."

As soon as it was printed, Munch and Fin left to find Ghost Bee, knowing that it would be the quickest way to identify the girl they were really interested in finding. It had felt like days since Fin had rested, and it probably had been. Sleep was low priority to everyone involved. He tried to stay focused as he drove his car towards the place he knew that Ghost Bee liked to frequent. He wasn't sure if they thug knew that he was undercover when they met, but it would be a nice surprise that even the thought of made Fin smile.

Fin pulled off to the side of the road, parrell parking his black car. He quickly turned off the engine and the partners got out. They were still 3 blocks from their destination, but not being in a car was the safest way for them, if there was a lot of people, to approach the scene without causing everyone to scatter.

Once rounding the corner, Finn spotted Ghost Bee with one of his girls. The hooker dressed in ripped tights, a skirt that was so short it left very little to the imagination, and a tube top. Ghost was smiling as she handed him a wad of cash. He counted some up, handing her a fairly good chunk of the money and placing the rest in his pockets.

"Yo Ghost!" Fin called out when they were just a few away from the pair. The man looked up, shaking his head and rolling his eyes once he saw Fin. He waved the girl away and watched her a moment as she walked away. "How's it going man?"

"Business as usual my brother," He said before putting his fist out towards Fin who bumped his against it. He then looked over to Munch, looking a bit confused. "Who dis cracka?" Fin laughed softly before Munch took this question.

"John Munch. Not a cracka though."

"Oh no?"

"No, more like a jew... uh," Munch joked dryly. Ghost was obviously not understanding the joke, which Munch clearly noticed and he shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get it at two in the morning and laugh your ass off."

"So," Ghost began, changing the subject and looking back to Fin. "I think I owe you a thanks Fin. You work for Ice undercover with narcotics, get him put in prison and helped make me a very rich, powerful and happy man. Who knew I'd appriciate you narcs."

"I'm glad you enjoyed my work. But I'm not here to bust you, we just need help identifying this girl."

Fin held a headshot of the girl towards Ghost, so he could see her, but he didn't even glance at it before shaking his head and looking down the road past the two. "Nah man, never seen her before."

"Really? Cause we also have this beautiful little photo as well," Munch replied, pulling out a screencap from the security video of Ghost and the girl facing each other, handing over something. "Honestly GB, you should consider a career change, you'd make a pretty model. Look at that smile," Munch said with a smirk as his eyes met with the pimp.

"Alright, so I know her," Ghost said straightening his jacket and crossing his arms against his chest. "What do you need her for?"

"Are you seriously going to play dumb?" Fin asked, feeling slightly annoyed before rolling his eyes. "She gave information to Kurt Moss, the editor of The Ledger. She knows things about a case we are trying to solve."

"You tell us who she is and maybe we can see to it that you don't get arrested and ruin this little business that you've created," Munch said standing up straight as he took a step closer to the tall man.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, I'm merely saying, that you could go to jail for what you do. Not to mention that we could also arrest you for obstruction of justice," Munch shrugged slightly.

"Just tell us Ghost, who is she?" Fin interjected, holding the photo closer to the pimps face.

"Fine." Ghost took the photo fairly roughly out of Fin's hand and looked at it closer. He nodded his head. "Yeah, I know her. Name's Kenna, she is what we on da streets call a heroin whore. She was close to dat dead chick, never knew the exact connection, but she knew some thangs."

"You know where we can find her?" Fin asked as Ghost handed the photo back to him.

"She usually sticks close to the South Bronx, her former dealer and pimp lives there. She was his whore for a while, but when she wanted to quit, he kicked her out of his house. She came back to Manhattan, and was clean for a while. About a week ago, she said she needed some money and help scoring some black tar. She said she had a story she could sell, I went with her and she went up. To be honest, I didn't think she had anything, but she came back with a thousand dollars and I took three hundred as my cut, and gave her some of my supreme stuff and she was on her way."

"Who was her former dealer?" Munch asked. Ghost looked to Fin as he spoke.

"You remember that thug Marcel? The one who used to work for Ice but got cocky thinking he was going to take his turf?"

"Yeah?"

"That's him. She told me she was going to try to get back on his good side again, don't think it will happen, but then again Marcel hasn't been doing much business since relocating to the Bronx. He only gets the real desperate addicts and whores," Ghost said shaking his head.

"Thanks GB," Fin said with a nod before walking past the big pimp. After the pair got closer to their car, Fin looked over at Munch. "Jew-uh?"

Munch shrugged, looking back over to his partner. "What? He called me a Quaker, I was just correcting him." Fin blinked in amazement before shaking his head.

"And to think, I nearly forgot just how old you are."


	6. Chapter 5: It All Hits the Fan

**Chapter ****5: ****It All Hits The Fan. **

Chester Lake sat silently in his cell, an activity he had done every day for the past two years, and his eyes stared at a photo, one of him with Casey during a date they went on before everything fell apart. He still remembered vividly when he first met her, and had been instantly fascinated with the light she had around her. His finger gently ran against the photo, tracing along her facial features. His eyes closed and he let his head fall back against the concrete wall. Why did Casey have to die? Why did he even ask her to come and help him with his case? He knew that it was a lost cause, but he thought that maybe there was something they could do. It was also good to see Casey everyday, the smell of her shampoo when she wrapped her arms around him as they embraced in a hug as soon as she walked into the cell was something he looked forward to. He had fallen in love with her, he had wished he could go back in time and change what he did that landed him in this place, one that he knew he would be in for a long time.

The loud clang of the main doors of the cell block being opened shook Chester from thoughts and he sighed a moment before placing the photo underneath his pillow. He stood up and slowly walked towards the bars, glancing down the walkway he saw the guard leading a seemingly calmer Detective Fin the way. Chester knew that they were on their way to him, and his mind quickly began thinking about what he would say if the subject of what Casey had told him came up again. He wanted her to get justice and he wanted the killer to pay for taking her life, but Casey was the one who had trusted him with the secret, and he didn't want to break that. A little piece of his heart was still hanging onto the possibility they were wrong with the identity. He stood up once Fin reached his cell and walked inside.

The silence filled the space as Chester stood up and looked at his former partner, and he cleared his throat before taking in deep breath, preparing what he was going to say in his mind. Before he could, Fin lifted a hand to stop him, not interested in hearing what he had to say.

"Save it Chester," he said bluntly before dropping his hand.

"Why are you being like this Fin? Losing Casey has been as difficult for me as it has been for you. I'm sick of getting crap from everyone because I saw her before she died."

"Yeah, you were the last person to talk to her. You said she told you one thing and won't tell us!" Fin's voice raised to a yell as he slowly approached his former partner, his eyes locked on Lake's. "If you give a shit about Casey, you would tell me what she told you. Even if it turns out that it won't help us solve her murder, at least we would have a direction to go in."

"Don't you think I want the son of a bitch who killed Casey in jail?" Chester yelled back before pushing his hand into Fin's chest. Fin's eyes looked down at the photo that had been in Chester's hand. "I loved her Fin. She was beautiful, smart, funny, kind and she was working on my appeal. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I know who did it."

The pair went silent, Fin's eyes still on the photo that Chester and Casey from their date and he believed him. His eyes looked up from the photo and met with the back of the other mans head. He ran his tongue over his dry lips softly as he took in a breath, unsure of what his next words would be. His hazel eyes filled with regret for everything he had said to Lake.

"Chester-"

"Her sister," Lake interrupted as he turned around, a single tear falling down onto his tanned cheek. "She told me she heard from her sister that day. Her sister is a drug addict and she hadn't heard from her in nearly five years, and suddenly there she was at Casey's apartment wanting money."

"What's her name?"

"Kenna Novak. Apparently she was involved with some drug dealer name Marcel and Casey was worried that something bad was going to happen to Kenna, but she wasn't sure what to do." Lake answered. Fin's jaw dropped before he shook his head, his mind going through the information that he had received from Ghost B about the girl who sold the story to The Ledger. Lake's brow furrowed as he noticed Fin's reaction. Fin knew something, it was written all over his face. Lake took a step towards him before asking, "What is it?"

"I... I have to go..." Fin turned around and walked out of the cell.  
"Fin!"

It was too late. Fin was already down the hallway and walking with purpose to get out of the prison. Once his feet hit the wet gravel of the parking lot, he took out his cell phone. His eyes locked on his phone as he scrolled down his contact list. Upon seeing Munch's number, he pushed send and lifted the phone to his ear. Just as Munch picked up, he groaned into the phone, a noise that Fin had come accustomed to in their time as being partners.

"What time is it?" Munch asked in a audible yawn.

"I finally figured out who this Kenna girl is. Get your bony ass up, I'm coming to pick you," Fin shut the phone before getting into his car and driving towards Munch's place.

* * *

Olivia Benson walked through the door of Casey's apartment. With all of the hectic things that had been going on with trying to talk to everyone involved in Novak's final days of life, no one had actually gone to her apartment to look for any clues. When Cragen told her to go there and look, she immediately contacted CSU lead Ryan O'Halloran to accompany her. She knew that if there was anything there of importance that O'Halloran would be the best person to help her preserve it.

O'Halloran sat the case that was in his hand down onto the floor near the front door. He took out a pair of rubber gloves and covered his hands with them before the pair began their search of Casey's apartment. Benson slowly made her way into the office and made her way to the dark wood desk. The laptop was closed and she knew that she would have to take it to Morales to search through it. Multiple stacks of papers covered the top, but were neatly organized. Olivia reached into her pockets, putting a pair of gloves onto her hands before picking up the paper and sighing softly as she read through it. She wasn't completely surprised that Casey had been doing this, but she was concerned on some level.

Casey had been researching information on Thomas Crane and the case that had cost her everything in her life- her job, the love of her life, her home that she had been suddenly been unable to afford and was forced into living in an apartment. She put the page down before grabbing another paper. "Oh my God," she said aloud to herself. Before she could re-read the paper, a knock on the door came and O'Halloran poked his head into the room.

"Liv, you have to hear this," he said before walking back out into the living room. Olivia placed the paper down once again before walking out of the room quickly, finding O'Halloran standing over the answering machine. Once she reached him, he hit the play button.

_"Message from October second. Six thirty PM,"_ the machine made a loud beep before a voice came on.

"Casey Novak, this is Julia Crane. I heard what you are planning to do, and I..." The voice slurred a bit, obvious that Mrs. Crane was drunk. "If you succeed in getting that scumbag Chester Lake out of jail, I promise that you will suffer the consequences. That bastard killed my husband, and if he is released, I'll make sure you and he never breath again." There was a clicking noise, that sounded like ice clinking in a glass. "In fact, if I find out that this will go to trial, I will find a way to make that happen sooner." The message was over, and Olivia took it all in.

"That was left the day Casey died," O'Halloran explained as his eyes caught Olivia's. "Casey didn't get a chance to hear it..."

Olivia nodded. "I think we have a suspect."

* * *

Elliot Stabler walked into the medical examiners office. He had received the news from Captain Cragen that Warner had some information for him about their case. Elliot had been worn down slightly by the case, losing sleep and being depressed over the loss of his friend. It may have been a while since he last spoke with Casey, but having to investigate this case was one of the worst things that he had been through. It was almost as hurtful as the case where he learned that Dick Finley, one of his heroes and the man he had named his eldest son after, wasn't the person he had known, but a cold blooded killer.

Melinda Warner was in the midst of recording her findings when she saw Elliot from the corner of her eye and she looked over at him as she stopped the tape. After covering Casey's body with the sheet, she took off the rubber gloves she was wearing and tossed them in the trash before walking towards him and around a table to the computer, waving for him to follow her.

"I ran the skin cells that I found underneath Casey's fingernails and got a match," she explained to him, typing on her computer before a photo loaded with some information. "Marcel Rodriguez," she read aloud, her eyes moved over to watch Elliot as he observed it.

Elliot leaned over and read some of the information aloud. "Two years in Attica for selling crack cocaine and heroin. Four years in Rikers for assault and prostitution. Another two added in Rikers for assaulting a prison guard..." Elliot stood up straight before looking at Melinda again. "Sounds like a real charmer." He pulled his cell phone out, scrolling his contacts again. "I'll get ahold of Cragen so we can find him and arrest him. I'm glad this is over."

Before he was able to hit send on his phone, Melinda shook her head and touched his shoulder. "Wait Elliot," she said before walking around him and towards the body, picking up a folder and then walking back towards her. "I found something else."

"What?"

"Blood on the rope," Melinda answered as she scanned the papers with her eyes to find the information. "I ran it, but it's a different blood type as Marcel's and more interesting, this blood..." She started before finding it and shifting so that he could see the paper. "Is from a woman."


	7. Chapter 6: Who's Innocent?

**Chapter 6: ****Who's Innocent?**

Gillian Hardwicke walked into the SVU offices, her steps long, trying to get to Cragen's office quickly. Arthur Branch had been breathing down her neck even more now that news of DNA of another woman found on the rope that had strangled Casey Novak from Melinda Warner and the other discoveries made by Benson and Fin that there were two female suspects to be interviewed. Gillian was just as anxious as the ADA to find the murderer and make them pay for what they did to the former ADA. The case had been taking a toll on Gillian in some ways. Not only was she having to constantly hearing about how she should make sure that this would be a open and shut case, but she was also having to hear about how amazing Casey was when she worked with Special Victims. It kept the jealousy that was already inbedded in her mind growing at an alarming rate. She was embarassed by the thoughts, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be liked by the detectives she was working with, that's why she was so invested in getting justice for this case. Maybe doing that would get her the respect and friendship she so craved.

As she reached Captain Cragen's office, she looked at the man, who was sitting in his seat and just putting his phone down as he ended the conversation he was having before her interruption. Cragen shook his head slightly. He was already getting hounded by both the DA's office and the higher ups to get this case solved quickly and he wasn't really in the mindset to deal with Gillian stopping by to get a status report about what he where the squad was on this case.

"What is it Gillian?" He walked around his desk, his hands moving into his pockets as the pair locked eyes.

"I know, you're sick of being bugged by everyone about the status of the case and if you have any leads, but-"

"But you are here to do just that," he interrupted her before walking past her and out of his office. He knew that Gillian was only trying to do her job, but he didn't enjoy having everyone breathing down his neck.

"Hey, it could be worse," she replied with a shrug as she followed him into the squad room. "You could have Branch here bothering you. And he's not nearly as cute as I am."

Once the silence between them grew, she cleared her throat softly, a bit disappointed that her joke wasn't able to break the tension between them. She breathed out a sigh before speaking again. "Look, just give me something that I can take back to D.A. Branch so he will get off my back a little bit."

Cragen looked over at her as he stopped in front of the computer bay. "Tell him that we are trying to locate those that we need to. I know that this is personal to Branch, and believe me, it's personal to everyone who is working on this case," he said before turning his body to face her. "Do you think that anyone in this squad room isn't working their asses off to find the son of a bitch that took her life?"

"Don, I don't-"

He cut her off before she could finish. "Detective Stabler hasn't been home in a week, and he has a three year old at home. I think he's had a total of four hours of sleep. I had to send Detective Munch home yesterday because he was nodding off while running the DNA evidence at the computer. Olivia and Fin probably haven't gotten more than a few hours of sleep since her body was discovered in that dirty alley. I know that you have superiors on top of your every move, but we are trying as fast as we can to solve this and we can't do our jobs if we are being hounded the DA's office."

It was almost as if someone had slapped her in the face. For the first time in a long time, Gillian Hardwicke was speechless. She nodded to him before taking a step back and walking over to the elevators. She was only a tad too late to catch a tear that fell down her pale cheek, wiping it and smearing a bit of her mascara. She wasn't quite sure why she was crying, maybe it had been the way Cragen had spoken to her, maybe it was because this case was finally beginning to affect her. But it was more likely that her jealousy of Casey had finally hit a wall and now her emotions were starting to pour out of her. A feeling that was very uncomfortable for the tough ADA.

As the doors opened, Gillian looked up to see Olivia in front of her. She sighed, stepping to the side and letting Olivia out before sliding past and pushing the button about four times, desperate to get out of the building.

Olivia turned around and looked at her, seeing the tears falling from her eyes. She continued to walk into the squad room, too tired and focused on the task she was going in for that she didn't stop Gillian to ask her what was wrong. She sighed as walked past Cragen and to her desk.

"Is Julia Crane here yet?" She asked through a yawn as she sat down at her desk, shaking her head. She was exhausted, but determined to stick it out. She wanted to solve this case more than she had ever wanted to solve any other case she had been involved in.

"She is in the interview room," Cragen answered before sighing. The pounding headache that had formed was starting to pierce his eye in a dull ache. "Fin and Munch went to go find this Marcel guy and try and track down Kenna's whereabouts. Go wake Elliot and get in there. Hopefully we can get some more answers before the day is over. Get the DA off our backs for while."

Olivia nodded. She stood up once again, her body ached from being awake and on the go for so long. She walked over to where the coffee was, grabbed a cup and poured herself some. She blew on the hot liquid before bringing it to her lips. She began to walk down the hall to wake up Elliot. It was going to be another long day. She just hoped that it would be their last day and they would finally bring the person who killed Casey to justice.

* * *

The fall chill hit Fin as he stepped out of his car, looking around at the old neighborhood. This side of the Bronx was notorious for being the bad side that no one should visit. It was a surprise to Fin that Marcel Rodriguez had decided to bring his drug business to this place after getting so much once Ice had been taken off the streets and put in jail. Marcel believed himself to be far superior in his game than anyone else that he had been associated with. The list included Ice, Ghost Bee, even Fin when he was undercover. Fin looked to the other side of the car, expecting to see Munch already out of the car. He scoffed as he saw that Munch was still sitting in the warm car, his arms crossed against his chest, as if he was a toddler having a temper tantrum.

"Would you get your ass out of the car?"

"I refuse. It's way too cold, my elderly body aches when the weather is this cold out," John replied, his brown eyes peaking out from underneath his trademark tinted glasses.

"If you don't get outta my car and come with me, I'll give your old ass something to ache about."

"Always with the violence," Munch said, shaking his head.

Fin leaned in the car and unhooked the older man's seatbelt. "Let's go, I don't have all day." He stood back up and slammed the car door shut before walking around the front of the car and moving to the side walk. He blew out a sigh. The city was a lot like it was when he worked undercover for narcodics. The sidewalks looked bleak and nearly empty of people at the moment, the entire place had a navy tint. The sounds of near-distant sirens filled the air before the other door slammed shut. Fin turned around to see Munch walking over to him.

"I think that anger management would do you some good my friend," he said as he looked around.

"I think a new partner would do me some good," Fin answered before starting to walk down the street.

Munch began to follow him, concern showing on his face. There were few people that Munch allowed himself to get close to anymore, and Fin was one of those people. After being partners for so long, Munch knew more about Fin than he knew about his own family. He had a great amount of respect for him, and he hoped the feeling was mutual. Sometimes with their playful bickering, it was tough to figure outwhen Fin was being serious and when he was playing into it. "Fin, I know you are stressed and tired, but you need to just take a minute and breath."

Fin shook his head, not responding verbally as they walked. He didn't want John to think that he upset with him, it was his frustration that they hadn't caught the person who murdered Casey that was really weighing him down and causing him to snap. The lack of sleep also wasn't helping the situation.

The silence continued a few blocks as they continued their quest. As they turned the next corner, Fin looked a few feet ahead of them and saw Marcel Rodriguez, leaning against a wall, his baggy jeans and heavy black winter coat making his slender body look slightly bigger. His shaved head was covered in a black beanie and his facial hair, a goatee was immaculately trimmed. Fin pulled Munch back, turning back around the corner. He needed a game plan, knowing that Marcel would run the other way. He was a drug dealer. He had his own crew, there was no doubt that he wouldn't want to talk to Fin about anything.

"Okay," he said before looking back around the corner. "I'm gonna go around the building so that I can cut him off if he tries to make a run for it. I'll text you when I'm in place. Walk up to him and tell him you need to talk. If he doesn't run, I'll come up and we can take him in. If he does run, I'll do whatever I have to to stop him."

Munch nodded. "Sounds good."

Fin took in a breath before walking back the way they came and went around to the alley on the opposite side of the building. He took out his phone as he glanced around the corner, seeing a tiny hispanic girl approach Marcel. Her skirt was short, which was odd to see on such a cold day, which could only mean she was most likely one of his "girls". She tugged on her short white fur coat that only covered her arms to her elbow and was open to expose her black bra she was wearing. She took out a wad of cash, handing it to Marcel. They spoke for a bit, seemingly in an arguement, he raised his hand to her and she coward before nodding at his request and taking out more money that she had hidden in the pocket of her jacket. Marcel handed her a small part of the money before shoving her away. Fin could hear him yelling at her as he ducked back behind the building again to make sure he wasn't seen.

"... and don't you dare try to pull that shit again bitch! I own you, don't you ever forget that!" That was the only thing that Fin heard Marcel yell at the girl. He took out his phone and texted Munch, telling him that he was in place and to go ahead with their plan. Hopefully it would all work out quickly and calmly.

John didn't even check his phone when he heard the beep that told him that Fin had sent him a text message. As he walked around the corner, he took in a breath. He definitely wasn't the type of person that these drug dealers saw and assumed that he was out to score drugs. As he said once when they asked him to work narcotics, "I have a cop face." As he walked, he took out his badge, holding it in his hands to flash once he got close enough.

Marcel was busy looking down at his cell phone to pay attention to the skinny man in a long black trench coat walking towards him. Once the sight finally caught his attention, he turned his head to look John. He closed his phone, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. Who was this older white man approaching him in the bronx? He didn't have a good vibe about it already.

"Yo Marcel, we need to have a chat," Munch said, holding his golden badge up, the sun beamed off of it a moment, making it so that Marcel couldn't make out what it was at first and it cause him to squint his eyes from the brightness. Once he could, his eyes widened and he started to run the opposite way. "Stop! Police!" Munch called out, running after the man, cursing under his breath. He hated it when they ran.

Fin heard Munch call out for Marcel to stop and he leaned a bit, listening as Marcel's footstep got closer. He saw the shadow grow smaller and once he thought Marcel was close enough, he stepped out from where he was standing and extended his right arm, catching Marcel in the chest. Marcel fell to the ground, landing on his back and groaning from the force Fin used to clothesline him.

"Really Marcel? Running from the cops?" Fin asked as he rolled Marcel to his stomach and placing handcuffs on him. "And here I thought you were smarter than that." Munch helped Fin get Marcel to his feel.

"Yo, I didn't do nothin'."

"Well, you made me have to run after you, so... I think you did," Munch replied as the pair walked him over to their car. "Marcel Rodriguez, you are under arrest for the murder of Casey Novak, you have the right to stay silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have to right to an attorney..." he continued to read him his rights as they walked.

After Munch opened the door to the backseat, Fin place his hand on top of Marcel's head, moving him into the car. Munch got into the passanger seat, putting his seatbelt on as Fin walked around to the driver's seat and they headed towards the station.

* * *

The ache in Elliot Stabler's body made him groan to himself as he followed Olivia towards the interrogation room. They looked through the one-way glass as Julia Crane sat down in the room waiting for them, her legs shaking nervously and her finger gently tapping on the table in front of her. Something told Olivia that she wasn't guilty. Maybe Olivia was wrong, after all, she did look guilty as hell, but there was a gut feeling in Olivia that told her Julia wasn't involved.

"Alright, let's do this," Elliot said, breaking the silence between the pair.

"Yep. Let's do it."

As Elliot opened the door, Julia jumped slightly, having not expected the door to open. She placed her hand on her chest as she let out a breath to try and calm her nerves. Olivia brought in the tape player, putting on the table. They said nothing to her as the sound of Julia's slurred voice began to echo around the room.

_"__Casey Novak, this is Julia Crane. I heard what you are planning to do, and I... If you succeed in getting that scumbag Chester Lake out of jail, I promise that you will suffer the consequences. That bastard killed my husband, and if he is released, I'll make sure you and he never breath again. In fact, if I find out that this will go to trial, I will find a way to make that happen sooner."_

Olivia stopped the tape and looked up at Julia, whose head was shaking, her eyes wide as she looked up at the detectives. "I was drunk... I... I... I was upset. My husband was murdered and she was trying to get Chester Lake a new trial and get him out of jail. I couldn't deal with knowing that he could be a free man," she explained, her voice trembling viciously.

"And now," Elliot started, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from her. "Casey Novak is dead. Murdered." He slammed his hand against the table, for effect. Underneath his open palm, the pictures from the crime scene. It was too much for Julia to see, and she looked away from them instantly.

"I swear, I had nothing to do with her death."

Olivia let out a breath, nodding before walking towards Elliot. "Then you probably have an alibi for that night and you can just give us a DNA sample so that we can clear you."

Julia attempted swallowed away the dryness in her throat away. She had never been question in such a way, and her nerves were on overdrive. She knew that the way she was reacting had to be suspicious to the detectives.

"Yes," she finally was able to say. "I was with my daughter at her dance recital that night and we went to dinner afterwards, then went home. I read her a book and fell asleep next to her. We woke up the next morning and I made her chocolate chip pancakes." She took in a breath and looked between the two detectives.

Olivia looked at Elliot, and she believed Julia. She knew they would have to talk to her young daughter. "Alright, we will talk to your daughter and the M.E. will be in to take DNA from you."

"She's only eleven..." Julia said as she looked down a minute. "Amy was really young when Thomas died. She's all I have... and... I think that losing him was the reason that I started drinking so much." Her eyes met with a sympathetic Olivia's. "I've done horrible things in my life, but I never hurt Casey Novak."

"We'll be back," Elliot moved over to Olivia as he spoke, wanting to get her out of the room before Julia could give her any more words to garner sympathy.

"She doesn't have a lot of memories of her father." Julia wiped the falling tear off of her cheek. "Please... don't tell her that her father did such horrible things."

Olivia swallowed, nodding slightly. She made her way out of the room, a breath leaving her body. Her empathy for Julia was heightened after their interview with her. She believed that Julia didn't do this. Elliot know Olivia well enough to know exactly what she was thinking.

"You believe her, don't you?"

"Look at her Elliot," Olivia said pointing at her through the two way mirror. She turned and looked at Julia sitting in her seat and wiping the falling tears from her cheeks.

"Liv, she threated Casey. Melinda said that the killer was a man, maybe she hired someone to kill her." Elliot was trying to understand it, but she

"Or maybe someone else killed Casey, innocent until proven guilt Elliot. Don't forget that." With that, Liv walked around him and out of the room.


End file.
